Current Affairs - International

Asad Siam, whose full name is Asad Alam Siam, has been named as Bangladesh’s new envoy to India. He will succeed Riaz Hamidullah as the head of Bangladesh’s High Commission in New Delhi. Siam has prior diplomatic experience, including serving as Bangladesh’s ambassador to Washington, DC. His appointment comes amid ongoing diplomatic engagement between Bangladesh and India, including discussions over the possible visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to India. Meanwhile, outgoing High Commissioner Riaz Hamidullah is expected to move to Geneva to serve as Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the United Nations Office there.

October 20, 2026, is the date on which the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will come into effect. The agreement was signed on April 27, 2026, by India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and New Zealand Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay in New Delhi. Under the agreement, New Zealand will provide duty-free access to Indian exports across 100% of tariff lines from the start. The FTA also covers services, investment, professional mobility and education, while India has protected sensitive sectors such as dairy, livestock, agriculture, sugar and edible oils.

Tajikistan hosted the 25th Meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Ministers responsible for Foreign Economic and Trade activities. The meeting was held in Dushanbe on September 17, 2026. India was represented by Shri Yashvir Singh, who highlighted the vision of Security, Connectivity, and Opportunity for international trade. The meeting adopted important documents, including the Action Plan for 2026–2030 on multilateral trade and economic cooperation and a joint statement on foreign economic and trade activities. Discussions also focused on resilient supply chains, trade finance for MSMEs and start-ups, digitalisation, paperless trade and cooperation in critical sectors.

India secured the 131st position out of 145 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2026, with an overall gender parity score of 64.5%. India’s rank remained unchanged from the previous year, although its individual score improved. The country recorded 96.6% parity in educational attainment and 95.6% in health and survival. Political empowerment stood at 24.5%, while economic participation recorded 41.2% parity. Globally, 69.2% of the gender gap had been closed. The World Economic Forum first launched the Global Gender Gap Index in 2006 to measure gender parity across four major dimensions.

100% is the maximum tariff that the US President may impose on countries that purchase Russian crude oil or natural gas or assist in evading sanctions under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The law expands US powers to impose sanctions and tariffs related to Russia’s energy and defence sectors. Countries such as India and China could potentially come under these powers because they are major purchasers of Russian crude oil. However, the legislation does not automatically impose a 100% tariff on them, as the President has discretion over how the authority is used.